Car construction



Jan. 5, 1965 wf'c a. PRICE ETAL 3,164,264

' CAR CONSTRUCTION Filed June 15, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 WM LIA/'1 61%322' wnea a. MA) MJW A Tram/er Jan. 5, 1965 w. 6. PRICE ETAL CAR CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 13, 1962 A TTOR/VE) United States PatentO 3,164,264 CAR CGNSTRUCTION William G. Price and Howard J. May, South Bend, Ind, assignors, by mesne assignments, to ACE Industries, Incorporated, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed June 13, 1962, Ser. No. 202,107 6 Claims. (Cl. 213-43) This invention relates to a railway car structure wherein a long-travel draft gear may be utilized. In more detail, this invention is concerned with the mounting of a sliding sill exteriorly of a car sill to transmit loads to a hydraulic device which dissipates shocks.

It is therefore a principal object of this invention to provide novel means for transferring shocks imparted to a railroad car under operating conditions to an energy dissipating device.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a car construction wherein a car body is integrally connected to an unclerframe which underframe is yieldably mounted to a coupler assembly.

Another object is to interpose coacting shock absorbing devices with a car sill and a coupler carrying sliding sill.

Additional objects are to provide a car structure of the above type which is adapted for ready assembly, which is rugged, and which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

In the drawing, which is for purposes of illustration only:

' FIGURE 1 is a diametric view of a railroad draft gear mounted to a railroad car center sill by a sliding sill constructed in accordance wtih our invention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional plan view of our sliding sill construction as applied to a railroad car center sill;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional end view taken along line 33 in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional end view taken along line 44- in FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 5 is a broken end section taken along line 55 in FIGURE 2.

With regard to the drawings a hydraulic or similar type long stroke shock-absorbing unit is mounted within a railroad car center sill 10, and a coupler 12 is adapted to slide therewithin. As may be readily surmised by those skilled in the art, a familiar striker face 14 is attached to the center sill adjacent the forward end, and a center filler 16 modified by shortening (see FIGURE 2) is mounted within the sill to form a rear stop for a shock absorber pocket.

As may be particularly seen in FIGURE 2, we provide a shock absorber within this pocket which is hydraulic in nature. However, we do not propose to be limited to such devices to absorb loads applied to the coupler 12.

In any event the shock absorber shown is assembled from a cylinder 18 and a tubular member 20 which tubular member is adapted, as by packing rings 22 and a retainer 24, to sealingly slide Within an open end of cylinder 18. The tubular member is closed at both ends, as by threading an end cap 26 and a wall 28 to the ends of member 20. The end cap 26 has radiating flange portions which extend from the member 20 to form a rectangular plate 34) that abuts the center filler 16 and is held thereagainst by a lower plate 32 and corner plates 33 (see FIGURES 3 and 4) which are suitably secured to sill 10.

Opposite the end receiving said tubular member, the cylinder 18 is capped, as by the threaded end portion 34 which end portion is provided with cars 36 that project, as seen, outwardly from the cylinder. The end portion is also adapted to receive a metering pin 38, which metering pin is aligned with a passage 40 in the wall 28. The pin 38 may be of a step taper form to provide varied chamber 44 and dissipates the energy of impact.

shock absorber capability for varied loads carried by the car sill 10 or of a constant taper to function more efficiently under a cetrain load.

A floating piston 42 is slidably mounted within the member 20 behind the wall 28. This piston separates the interior portion of member 20 into two variable volume chambers 44 and 46, as seen in FIGURE 2. In the arrangement shown, chamber 44 is filled with a compressible fluid, such as air, such that movement of piston 42 towards end cap 26 is not only resisted, but energy of such movement is stored by the compressible fluid to return said piston after loads have been removed therefrom.

The coupler 12 slidably engages the center sill 10 by means of a key 48 that slides in a slot 50 (see FIGURES 2 and 5) in the sill 1t) and striker face 14. The slot may be opened towards the coupler to allow increased stroke of the coupler draw bar 13, and the length of the slot inwardly from the coupler may vary according to the maximum permissible stroke: i.e. 6, 8, 10, 12, 18 or 20 inches or more of stroke. In addition, the ears-36 are slotted, as at 52, such that key 48 passes through said slot while mounting the coupler 12 to sill 16 and a surrounding slidably hat-shaped member 54. The draw bar 13 of the coupler also abuts, centrally of cars 36, the end portion 34.

The inverted hat-shaped member 54 is held by angle members 56 (see FIGURE 5) to slide along the flange 58 of center sill 10, and member 54 is provided with a face plate 60 which may be welded or otherwise secured to the upstanding sides of member 54. In addition, the face plate has an opening 62 through which the drawbar 13 of coupler 12 is passed.

Toward the rear of member 54 upper and lower stops 64 and 66 are mounted, as by a pair of elongated projections 68 and 70 which pass through appropriate openings in the side of member 54 and held thereto as by a pin connection 72. The stops and projections area unitary structure which is installed to member 54 by inserting projection 68 through member 54 and rolling projection 70 through member 54 until pin 72 can be slid through as shown in FIGURES l and 2. Intermediate these stops, a stop '74 is welded or otherwise secured to the downwardly projecting sides of sill 16. These sides of the sill similarly mount abutments 76 in alignment with but spaced from stops 74.

Between the abutments and the stops 74 a pair of rubber spring units, one on each side of sill 10, are placed and held therebetween, as by a through bolt 78 and nut 89. The rubber spring unit may include, as shown in FIGURE 2, a pair of telescoping cylinders 82 and 84, one of which slides within the other. These cylinders contain a rubber block assembly 88 of a familiar type which comprises a plurality of rubber discs.

In operation the coupler 12 receives a bufi? load tending to close the shock absorber and this causes fluid in chamber 90 to flow through the passage 40, that is restricted by pin 38, to chamber 46. This compresses the fluidin In addition, fluid from chamber 46 is ported to an annular chamber 92 through an orifice )4 of small diameter.

Upon relief of the impact forces the compressed fluid of chamber @2 which means that the restricted orifice 94 dissipates draft energy. Meanwhile the steps 64 and 65 have caused the rubber spring units to collapse towards abutments 76 which further absorbs draft forces and also provides return of the unit'when said forces are relieved.

The rubber discs also serve to neutralize the eilect of the air return by insuringthe returnof the sliding sill to the normal position. In addition, the rubber discs provide a still resistance to a slight or low acceleration pull to insure that draft resistance is always present for the sliding member.

Having described our invention with regard to one possible form'of structure, we wish to impress the fact that we do not consider this as limiting the way of carrying out our invention in accordance with the following claims. We claim: 7

1. In a railroad car having an underframe with a slotted center sill and cushioning device having slotted ears projecting therefrom,

a coupler having a slotted portion;

a slidable member adapted to slide along said center sill, said slidable member including an inverted hatshaped structure having an inwardly projecting structure which rests on a portion of said center sill, a pair of stop means mounted adjacent the rear edge of said hat shaped structure, one on each vertical -side,and a slot at the forward end of said hat-shaped member in the vertical sides thereof;

a key adapted to slide along the slot of said center sill and of a size to fixedly unite said coupler, said cushioning device and said slidable member through the slots thereof;

an abutment mounted to said center sill;

a stop mounted to said center sill in spaced relationship with. said abutment to fit between said stop means or" said slidable member; and

a shock absorbing device mounted between said abutment and said center sill stop means and engageable by said slidable member stop means.

2. In a railroad car according to claim 1 wherein said shock absorbing device is a rubber spring element comprising: 1 I I telescoping cylinders; I

a plurality of rubber discs contained by said telescoping cylinders; and v a 'means to hold said telescoping cylinders with said rubber discs to said abutment and to said center sill stop, which means permits telescoping of said cylina tubular member closed at one end and slidably and sealingly mounted Within said cylinder, said tubular member being of lesser exterior diameter than the interior diameter of said cylinder and being radially bored adjacent the open end in said cylinder and axially bored throughout the length thereof;

a Wall connected to the open end of said chamber to divide said chamber into two variable volume chambers, one ahead of said wall and one behind said wall around said tubular member, said wall having a passage cooperating with said metering pin; and

a floating piston in said tubular member behind said wall dividing said tubular member into two variable volume chambers.

4. In a railroad car having a coupler including a draw bar and a center sill with vertical sides, a slidable member having a bottom Wall and vertical sides enveloping the center sill, means for mounting said member at one end of the center sill for slidable movement thereon, a l ydraulic shock absorber including a member which is fixed and a member which is movable relative to the center sill, mean for mounting said shock absorber in said center sill, means for substantially fixedly connecting said draw bar to said slidable member and connecting said draw bar to said movable member of the shock absorber for movement with the draw bar in both draft and buff directions, whereby said shock absorber is able substantially immediately to cushion buff forces in any position of the movable member thereof, additional shock absorbing means mounted on said center sill, and means fixed to said slidable member for engaging said shock absorbing means during draft movement of said draw bar and slidable member for cushioning draft forces.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said addi tional shock absorbing means includes a pair of shock absorbers mounted on the vertical sides of the center sill.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein each of said pair of shock absorbers includes a pair of telescoping cylinders, a plurality of adjacent rubber discs in said cylinders, and means for mounting said discs and cylinders for enabling said cylinders to telescope and compress said discs.

Reterences Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 208,994 Smitt Oct. 15, 1878 1,233,999 Ferguson July 17, 1917 1,376,480 Straw May 3, 1921 1,865,803 Tucker July 5, 1932 2,994,442 Frederick Aug. 1, 1961 3,047,162 Blake July 31, 1962 

1. IN A RAILROAD CAR HAVING A UNDERFRAME WITH A SLOTTED CENTER SILL AND CUSHIONING DEVICE HAVING SLOTTED EARS PROJECTING THEREFROM, A COUPLER HAVING A SLOTTED PORTION; A SLIDABLE MEMBER ADAPTED TO SLIDE ALONG SAID CENTER SILL, SAID SLIDABLE MEMBER INCLUDING AN INVERTED HATSHAPED STRUCTURE HAVING AN INWARDLY PROJECTING STRUCTURE WHICH RESTS ON A PORTION OF SAID CENTER SILL, A PAIR OF STOP MEANS MOUNTED ADJACENT THE REAR EDGE OF SAID HAT-SHAPED STRUCTURE, ONE ON EACH VERTICAL SIDE, AND A SLOT AT THE FORWARD END OF SAID HAT-SHAPED MEMBER IN THE VERTICAL SIDES THEREOF; A KEY ADAPTED TO SLIDE ALONG THE SLOT OF SAID CENTER SILL AND A SIZE TO FIXEDLY UNITE SAID COUPLER, SAID CUSHIONING DEVICE AND SAID SLIDABLE MEMBER THROUGH THE SLOTS THEREOF; AN ABUTMENT MOUNTED TO SAID CENTER SILL; A STOP MOUNTED TO SAID CENTER SILL IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID ABUTMENT TO FIT BETWEEN SAID STOP MEANS OF SAID SLIDABLE MEMBER; AND A SHOCK ABSORBING DEVICE MOUNTED BETWEEN SAID ABUTMENT AND SAID CENTER SILL STOP MEANS AND ENGAGEABLE BY SAID SLIDABLE MEMBER STOP MEANS. 